Sunday, 16 September 2007

Homage, Satire, Revision

Fantasy Book Critic, one of the leading voices in a new wave of sci-fi and fantasy bloggers has posted a review of The Blade Itself, and do you know what? That guy really gets me:

"The Blade Itself is simultaneously an homage to fantasy of old, a satirical riff on cliches common within the genre, and a contemporary revision."

Yes, exactly! That's exactly what it is!

"as far as sheer inventiveness and likeability, I haven't read such an enjoyable cast since Glen Cook's Black Company novels and Steven Erikson's Malazan books."

Excellent! What else?

"The second reason why Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself is such an enjoyable book to read is the writing, which reminded me of Scott Lynch's Gentlemen Bastard Sequence. While The Blade Itself doesn't possess the same level of flair and technical proficiency that Scott Lynch's novels do..."

Aaaargh! My eyes! My valuable eyes!

"...it shows off the potential for Mr. Abercrombie to get there one day and is easily one of the book's strengths along with characterization."

Alright, alright, fair enough, since Scott's such a good bloke and all. Time for a big finish:

"The way I see it, if you like fantasy but are tired of the same-old routines, enjoy a healthy dose of black humor, are not afraid of a little over-the-top violence and foul language, and appreciate the writings of Glen Cook, Scott Lynch & Steven Erikson, then Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself is tailor-made for you. Even if none of that fits in your criteria, give the book a chance. You might just be pleasantly surprised..."

He's right, you know. You just might be...

And keep your eyes peeled for an interview over there in the coming weeks.

Labels: reviews